Aircraft castorable or steerable landing element mountings



5 Sheets-Sheet l I2 ll Mam! Q 57726 77 696 H. R. STRATFQRD AIRCRAFT CASTORABLE OR STEERABLE LANDING ELEMENT MOUNTINGS Oct. 14, 1952 'lled Aug 1 1950 H. R. sTRATFoRD AIRCRAFT CASTORABLE OR STEERABLE LANDING ELEMENT MOUNTINGS Oct. 14, 1952 Filed Aug. 1, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 HENRY sm' -i g (114; 1952 H. R. STRATFORD 296137883 AIRCRAFT CASTORABLE OR STEERABLE LANDING ELEMENT MOUNTINGS Filed Aug 1, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet s i 4: H5 hE we Y Q sne ab Filed Aug. 1, 1950 Oct. 14, 1952 H. R. STRATFORD 2,613,888

AIRCRAFT CASTORABLE OR STEERABLE LANDING ELEMENT MOUNTINGS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 W TJ:' E.

1 1- 27 I I Z6 34 i l L 27 26 35 7 Q "36 l l 37 25 46\ 38 bwmrae HEN/E y E- 8 ea Fr-0590 Oct. 14, 1952 R, STRATFORD 2,613,888

AIRCRAFT CASTORABLE OR STEERABLE LANDING ELEMENT MOUNTINGS Filed Aug. 1, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 sure fluid is delivered into the space 32 and allowed to return from the space 3l Figure 6 represents the parts in their mid to:

sitions at which the twin wheels are directed fore and aft of the aircraft. The arrow 46 represents the full steering range. Figure '7 shows thecylinder 34 moved its. fullest extent to'the left to give maximum steering in one direction. It will be seen that the link 38' remains fully contracted and that the lin 31 has elongated to a small ex,- tent. Assuming that the mounting castors inthe same direction beyond the steering range, the link 38 will start to elongate, as seen in Figure 18, and the slight elongation of the link 31 will be taken up'f until the link 31 becomes fully contracted. It will be seen that the cylinder v34 has now moved back a little to the right. By the time thecol 'uinn has turned from the position shown in Figure 6 through '180 degrees to the position shown in Figure 9, the cylinder 34 will be back inits mid position with the links 31 and 38 each substantially fully extended. Continued turning bfthecolurnn l causes the parts to move through the positions shown in Figures 10 and 11 until the partsfinally return back to the positionsof Figurefi. The full travel of .the cylinder 34 to eifect fullsteering is never exceeded, as would be necessary if a single non-extensible link served as the mechanical connection between the cylinde 34'and the pin l5.

When the cylinder 34 is caused to move as a result of castoring of the column I 5, the full range of travel of the cylinder 34 will be somewhat'less than that when the cylinder 34 is driving the column The two extensible links need not'necessarily be alignment When the parts occupy their normal mid'positions shown in Figure 6. Y If'desired, the axisof the crank pin 25 may be displaced towards the axis of the rotatable column=l5 away from the plane containing the pivots with the cylinder. H ---Althoug'h less convenient, the cylinder could be arrangedto be stationary with the piston as the movableelement. In such an arrangement the extensible'links would be pivotally connected with 'p'a'rtsmovable as one with the piston.

- Any 'shimmy that may develop in the rotatable column usually takes place throughout a range of within four degrees either side of the mid position. When the column turns this small amount, one of the links will remain fully contracted whilst the other will elongate to a negli-' "gib'le extent. Thus during return oscillations the degree of lost motion to be taken up in the course of shimmy damping is so small as to be negligible. It will be understood that when the cylinder-and-piston device operates as a shimmy damper, the device will be full of liquid which has'no escape. r

? In'all cases where the cylinder-and-piston' device is used for steering, the provision of the two links results in asymmetrical power curve having "a high steering torque for a considerable axes of the link reduces the net:

4 If the rotatable column is to be capable of 360 degrees castoring, then whether the cylinder-andpiston device be used solely for steering, or solely for shimmy damping, or for .both purposes, the provision of links of variable length substantially :ssary travel of the movable part of the device.

. ..I claim:

1. An aircraft wheel mounting comprising a wheel-turning column carrying the Wheel, means rotatively-supporting said column for turning of the wheel to eitherside of the straight-ahead position thereof, crank means fixed to said column eccentrically thereof for rotation conjointly therewith, adouble-acting hydraulic means comprisingcoasting. -hydraulic piston and cylinder eIem'ents one of which is fixed and the other of which is movable with relation thereto, means supporting said piston and cylinder elements in a positionofiset laterally from the wheel-turning column and disposed for movement of said'm'ovlinks to said crank means, and means pivot'ally connecting the "opposite ends of said link's. to said movable element atrespective locations spaced apartin the direction of movement of said'movable'element and causing: saidlinks to be fully contracted in the rotated position of ,said crank means corresponding to the straight-ahead sition of the wheel and column, whereby turning of said column and movement of said movable element are coordinated in both senses by transmission of force through'one link or the other. respectively; depending upon the rotated position of said column and the rotated sense thereof. j

'2. The aircraft'wlieel mounting 1 defined in claim l, wherein theli nks extend oppositely in mutual alignment-from the crank means'and tangentially to the rotaryl'path of the crank means, in the :stralght ahead positionof the wheel and column, whereby initial transmission of force between the crank means and. the movable element either sense of movement thereof fro m the corresponding position of the crank meansis a maxi'muml 1 I I 3.- The aircraft wheel fmounting defined in claim ly whereinthejwheel is castorable with the column throughout a 360 range, and the crank n k nd,,.q0 .nt .meansmw tually" cooperate to permit suchca'storing. the hydraulic cylinder element having connections for supply of hydraulic pressure fluid to opposite"ends thereof selectively to effect a'positive hydraulic steering 'of the wheel through the links over a substantial range on either side of the straight-ahead position of the wheel, and a fluid flow" restriction communicating between each steeringangle either sideof the' mid position. hydraulicrneansf comprising coac'ting "hydraulic piston and cylinder elements, one of which is fixed and the other of which is movable with relation thereto in either sense from a neutral position, means supporting said piston and cylinder elements in a position ofiset laterally from said column and disposed for movement of said movable element in opposite senses and in a direction transverse thereto, second and third pivot means carried by said movable element at respective locations thereon spaced apart in the direction of movement thereof and in a line substantially tangential to said circular path of said first pivot means, and a pair of extensible links having cooperable elements movable relative to each other and stop means to limit such movement at link-extended and link-contracted positions, respectively, one of said links pivotally interconnecting said first and second pivot means and the other of said links pivotally interconnecting said first and third pivot means, and both of said links being substantially fully contracted against its stop means in the neutral position of said movable element, with said first pivot means substantially midway in the line between said second and third pivot means.

5. The aircraft wheel mounting defined in claim 4, wherein the wheel is castorable with the column throughout a 360 range, and the crank means, links and connecting means mutually cooperate to permit such castoring, the hydraulic cylinder having connections for supply of hydraulic pressure fluid to opposite ends thereof selectively to effect positive hydraulic steering of the wheel through the links over a substantial range on either side of the straight-ahead position of the wheel, and a fluid flow restriction communicating between each such connectionand the corresponding ends of the hydraulic cylinder to damp shimmy of the wheel during cas toring thereof.

6. An aircraft wheel mounting comprising an upright column carrying the wheel, fixed support means whereby said column is supported for rotation through 360 about its axis, a crank pin notwithstanding halting of the transverse ment of the traveler,

guided on said guide for movement from'a new I the traveler at a point offset to oneside of suchradius and extending from such point inwardly to the crank pin along a line generally ata right angle to the radius, and pivotally connected to the crank pin, a like extensible and contractiblelink similarly connected between the crank pin and the traveler at a like point at the opposite sideof the radius, stop means incorporated in each of said links to limit their contraction, the

two links being of such length that, With. the column and its crank pin in such position of neutral rotation and with the traveler in its neutral position, each link is bottomed against further contraction by its stop means, and transverse movement of the traveler in one or the other sense is positively communicated through'one or the other link as a thrust force acting to rotate the column through the crank pin.

7.. An aircraft wheel mounting as in claim 6, including stop means limiting transverse movement of the traveler to that necessary to produce less than 180 of steering rotation of the column, and wherein the two links are eachextensible through a sufficient range to complete 360? rotation of the crank pin in either rotative sense,

move- 8. An aircraft wheel mounting as in claim 6, wherein the points of connection of the links'to the traveler and to the crank pin are so chosen that the two links are aligned when parts'are in their respective neutral positions. i

' HENRY R. S'I'RATFORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: I 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,254,260 I Arcier Sept. 2, 1941 2,312,553 Hudson Mar. 2, 1943 2,535,167 Smith Dec. 26, 1950 2,543,233

Dowty Feb. 27, 1951 

